1. The Field of the Invention.
The present invention generally relates to equipment used to fight fires. More particularly, the present invention relates to apparatus used to ventilate enclosed spaces as part of fire fighting or emergency relief efforts.
2. The Background Art.
Modern fire fighters use a variety of equipment and techniques during an effort to extinguish any particular fire. The familiar water hoses and "water cannons," as well as foams and other less familiar substances, are among the items of equipment used to extinguish a fire. Another important technique used during fire fighting efforts is proper ventilation.
Ventilation, in terms of fire fighting techniques, means to control the movement of air, smoke, as well as hot, flammable, and/or hazardous gases. Proper ventilation serves many purposes.
In the case of small fires ventilation is used to exhaust smoke so that minimal smoke damage occurs. Even with larger, more serious fires, exhausting smoke reduces the risk of personal injury to both fire fighters and any occupants in the structure. Furthermore, proper ventilation of a major fire removes hot air and combustible gases thus slowing the spread of the fire. It will also be appreciated that controlling the flow of air through a burning structure can have a direct effect on the direction the fire spreads and the intensity of the fire. Furthermore, fire fighters are often called to provide relief at the scene of "non-fire" emergencies where it is necessary to use ventilation equipment to exhaust toxic and/or flammable gases resulting from broken pipes, disrupted storage containers, or the like.
In order to provide proper ventilation at the scene of a fire or other emergency, nearly all fire fighting vehicles carry one or more portable ventilation fans.
Generally, fans used in fire fighting ventilation are self contained units which are carried from a fire fighting vehicle to the location where ventilation is needed. However, prior to the present invention, an individual fire fighter generally could not transport more than one fan and was faced with no other alternative but to hang the fan or place it on the floor, or whatever structures were available in the building, once the proper location was reached. Hanging the fan in a door or window also disadvantageously obstructs that opening.
As will be readily appreciated, it is not the most advantageous use of a ventilation fan to place it on the floor where the air flow is only directed parallel to the floor. Many times it is desirable to direct the air flow out of a window located above floor level or to direct the air flow towards the ceiling of a room. It may even be desirable to operate the fan in the middle of a flight of stairs with the air flow produced thereby being directed parallel to the stairs.
Since providing proper ventilation is important in a fire fighting effort, it would be a major advance in the art to provide a ventilation system which would allow a fire fighter to readily control the direction of a ventilation fan's air flow. It would also be an improvement in the art to provide a fire fighting ventilation system which is easily transported by one individual and which can accommodate more than one fan. It would also be an advance in the art to provide a fire fighting ventilation system which is compact and may be stored in the space normally allocated for storage of a single fan as well as being readily deployable on uneven surfaces.